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Method of and system for managing documents in a bandwidth constrained environment

  • US 6,438,548 B1
  • Filed: 06/30/1999
  • Issued: 08/20/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1999
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of managing documents in a distributed computing environment, which comprises the steps of:

  • monitoring user interaction with a version of a document locally replicated from a server, said document being identified by a document identifier and version identifier;

    whenever said user attempts an operation during user interaction with said document that would change said document, requesting a lock for said document by sending a lock request to a document locker server;

    determining if said document is already locked for another user by checking a locked document table accessible by said document locker server, said locked document table including, for each locked document, a document identifier, a version identifier, a lock identifier, and an identifier for the user for whom said document is locked;

    if said document is not already locked for another user, determining if the version of said document locally replicated is the same as the version of said document stored on said server;

    if the version of said document stored on said server is newer than the version locally replicated, informing said user that a newer version of said document exists and prompting said user to replicate said newer version from said server;

    if the version of said document locally replicated is the same as the version of said document stored on said server, locking said document by sending a lock including a lock identifier to said user, and placing said lock identifier in said locked document table with the identity of the document being locked;

    inserting said lock identifier into said locally replicated document;

    allowing said user to perform said operation and to replicate said locally replicated document including said lock identifier to said server if a lock is received; and

    preventing said user from performing said operation if a lock is not received.

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